


The Five Christmas Proposals

by Summertime_Queen



Series: Daydream Believers [1]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Series, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29682270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summertime_Queen/pseuds/Summertime_Queen
Summary: Sarah has finally hit a wall - real life can no longer live up to the magic of the Labyrinth and a disastrous Christmas Eve date with a persistent colleague only highlight's that, so what happens when she finds herself wishing he were someone else?-It’s not late for Christmas, its early for next Christmas.Prompts:• Write a conversation that takes place between two people who refuse to say what they mean.• Write about two people who just can’t seem to understand each other, no matter how clearly they think they’re speaking.• Write about someone who gets proposed to five times on Christmas Eve.Can you see where this is going?
Relationships: Jareth & Sarah Williams, Jareth/Sarah Williams
Series: Daydream Believers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181159
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. The Set Up

As soon as she walked through the front door to her apartment, a migraine began to pulse behind her eyes.

Most people who came home to see their home in complete disarray would probably immediately assume a break-in and act accordingly, Sarah, on the other-hand, began to rub her temples in disappointment.

The living room was a total disaster; blankets and clothes strewn about the floor, drawers upturned with their contents lord knows where, dishes miraculously in one piece, but definitely not where she had left them when she headed off to work that uneventful morning. She didn’t even want to think about the Christmas tree that was now not only out of its stand, but somehow upside down on the other side of the room.

The only storage unit that did not seem to have been ransacked was a tall cupboard by the front door, where she kept her coats and such.

“Why can’t I have normal people problems?” Sarah sighed to herself, only half-seriously, as she stepped over the shoes littered across the entry-way and opened the cupboard. “Hello?” She called out, “is anyone there?”

She was met by nervous silence.

“Look, you’re not in trouble.” Sarah had found that diplomacy usually worked well. If not, bribing was usually a good way to get the perpetrators to at least attempt to clean up the mess they made.

There was a shuffle in the back of the cupboard causing some coats to sway slightly.

“Are you just disappointed?” a small voice tentatively asked from the shadows.

“No…” She was now more relieved that the goblins that had sneaked through her own, personal doorway to “Narnia” were still there. “If you come out and help me put it all back I promise I won’t be disappointed.”

There was a murmur of voices discussing the pros and cons of the deal they had been offered.

“Okay.” Three little goblins squirmed through the various coats and one-by-one they lowered themselves onto the floor.

This was not the first time that this had happened, and Sarah knew it wouldn’t be the last time, so the goblins were already trained well enough on cleaning etiquette and quickly got to work; Gröeg had begun to gather the dishes, licking them as it went, Aêlst was scurrying around putting all her furniture back together, and Spürgüs was happily picking up the Christmas ornaments and was hopefully able to right the tree again.

Nothing was going to the right places, but at least it was less overwhelming for Sarah to clean up if everything was at least sort of in their proper homes.

It may seem like a bad idea to leave any goblin unsupervised, let alone three of them known for their mischief, but Sarah needed a very long glass of wine after the day she had had.

She’d never truly been able to leave the fantastical behind after her adventure into the Labyrinth ten years ago – especially as the Underground had never really left her alone. It had meant that her ‘real life’ was considerably more mundane than if she had never experienced the magic of goblins, dwarves and fae.

One fae in particular anyway.

“All done!” Spürgüs waved gleefully as Sarah sat down at her dining table, large glass in hand.

“Thank you Spürgüs!” She said. “Did you find what you were looking for?” She enquired. Spürgüs nodded.

“Yes, yes we needed to make a potato cannon!” The goblin looked awful pleased with itself, in a way only a goblin could, as the other two now joined it in the doorway.

Sarah decided that she did not want to know, mentally added potatoes to her shopping list and look a deep sip of wine.

“Next time, please wait until I get home and ask.”

“Okay, miss.” It was an empty promise, but Sarah hoped that eventually they would learn.

“That will be all, you can go home now.”

There was a chorus of practised “thank yous” as the three goblins filed back to the cupboard and crawled back inside. The sounds of scrabbling and scratching eventually faded out, and she was alone.

She sat back in her chair to reflect on her day.

Sarah was currently working at a bank as a teller. It wasn’t her dream job by any means, but it was an honest living. Her eyes wondered over to the collection of notepads that were spread out on the table that also acted as a writing desk. She had spun many fantastical stories; novellas and articles and poems, but never quite had the gall to send them to anyone outside of her friends and family.

Hoggle and Sir Didymus loved it when she read her works to them; they were often painted as heroes and protectors which they agreed was the most realistic descriptions of their adventures together. Toby had begun to outgrow some of the more light-hearted tales and preferred the ones involving oubliettes and bogs of eternal stenches.

The Goblin King, on the other hand, never had much to say about the ones he had overheard when he had been caught snooping around. For a ruler, he didn’t seem to have much control over his subjects and had on more than one occasion had to fetch them from Sarah’s home before they caused more trouble, only to find his goblins silently watching Sarah's dramatic readings, hanging onto every word she said. He always seemed more concerned in asserting his dominance over the goblins and demanding they promptly abscond this mortals homestead.

And thus was life.

*-*-*

The six o’clock alarm was ringing, but Sarah was not rising, nor had she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She was instead staring blankly at the ceiling, chanting her daily mantra to convince her to get out of bed and get ready for work.

It was her only way to stay grounded – to prove to herself that her own special brand of magic was brewing within her and that the pay off would be worth it.

It would be so worth it. She was going to rub her success in everyone’s face. Two faces in particular; her mother and step-mother would finally eat their words when she found success as a children's author. All on her own! Just you wait and see.

Fuelling your motivation and drive completely out of spite was probably not the best way of going about it, but Sarah found herself having finally risen and in the shower, the smell of brewing coffee wafting in the humid air.

The day was a blur – Sarah barely even registered where she was and what time it was until someone tapped her on the shoulder to send her on her break.

“Oh right, yeah.”

The best/worst thing about a job like this was it was essentially the same day every day, which meant that she had time to daydream and _fantasize_. It also meant that the passing of time became a social construct that she no longer subscribed to.

She sat at the table in the break room, picking at her pasta salad, pondering why the goblins needed a whole sack of potatoes for their cannon, when her concentration was broken by the sound of a chair scraping against the linoleum floor.

“Afternoon Sarah!” His voice was almost as grating as the sound of the friction between the chair and the ground.

“Hi Alex.” She said, not looking at her co-worker. She hadn’t been able to look him in the eye since he confessed his undying love for her at the work Christmas party. Most colleagues had been giving her pity glances for the last couple of weeks and Sarah was getting rather fed up with it all.

“How have you been? I didn’t catch you before shift.” That had been carefully calculated, as it was every morning.

“I come in for work, so I went straight to work.” was Sarah’s stone faced reply.

“Ah but that’s not true, is it?”

Sarah cringed and finally looked at him. Alex wasn’t bad looking, and he knew it. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome – new starters were often taken in by his looks, but once they got to know him they avoided him like everyone else did.

“I earn my pay-check and I go home. I am not here to make friends.” She said, maintaining eye contact.

“That’s exactly why I want to meet outside of work.”

Sarah just about choked on her mouthful of pasta.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow” he elbowed her as if to enunciate how alone she was going to be for Christmas, “lets go for a nice walk around the park and you can get to know me better.”

“You need to get to know me too.” She scoffed at his obliviousness.

“Then it’s a date! I will pick you up after lunch!” Alex winked and quickly left before Sarah could voice her rejection.

“How did that even happen?” She asked no one in particular. _Wait does he know where I live?_ She thought to herself, now rather alarmed.

*-*-*

Like the cunning bastard he was, Alex was nowhere to be seen for the rest of Sarahs shift, and she quickly realised that she did not have his contact details, but he had all of hers from that one time he dropped her home after one of her first shifts. She wanted to slap her past self, but the only thing she could do now is control how she reacted to these new events.

Bundled in a heavy coat and scarf, Sarah walked home as the cold wind blew directly into her face.

Part of her wanted to just hide in her house Christmas Eve and pretend she wasn’t at home – maybe she could sneak into the Underground again and just hang out with her friends?

Sarah shook her head – last time she had done that, the Goblin King had been pretty angry at her for coming unannounced and she had left in a hurry. He was as intimidating as he was handsome.

_Nope._

Sarah refocused to the problem at hand.

She couldn’t really ghost Alex as she worked with him – part of the reason why she had always shied away from workplace romances. The majority of the reason was no one had really been able to create that spark of beautiful magic, none had made her feel like a bubble drifting in the air…

_Nope. Stop it. Nope._

Sarah sighed. It was getting worse. She glanced up at the treetops, almost willing to see an owl perched – watching her.

_The Alex problem, Sarah!_

Sarah could see her apartment building coming up in the next block. Her commute home was short - partly why she had taken a job at a bank, of all places.

She was just going to have to play this out and see what happened. Her stomach dropped at the thought of having to deal with Alex for who knows how long, but at least it would be in public so he wouldn’t get too weird.

As she reached the front door, a few flakes of perfect snow began to flutter from the darkening clouds above. Sarah watched for a moment, taking in the beauty of a simple snowflake against the backdrop of what was sure to be an intense storm.

*-*-*

It was quickly approaching eleven in the morning, and Sarah had barely slept a wink last night and was wondering if starting on the mulled wine now would be a good idea or not.

Why did her dastardly family have to spend Christmas with her step-mothers family? Sarah had been invited, but decided that she would much rather be alone over Christmas than have to put up with three identical personalities to Irene. She wasn’t so bad these days, but Sarah had realised that being an adult meant that she could pick and choose who she spent her time with much more carefully, especially since she moved out onto her own.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sarah had completely forgotten that she was talking to Hoggle through her vanity mirror – the same one that she had as a child, and that she had very carefully kept with her in every home she lived in.

“Oh! Yes! I mean, I am just going to get it over and done with!” She brushed off the dwarf’s concern.

“You can just tell him ‘no’, ya know?”

“I have.” Sarah sighed. “He’s not the type to understand what that means.”

“You know plenty of people who can make him go away.”

“Hoggle!” Sarah exclaimed, a little worried that she had considered what would happen if she wished Alex away and simply did not run the Labyrinth. Would she be able to live with herself? Would he be turned into a goblin? What would Jareth – the Goblin King- think of her using the Labyrinth to send those who annoyed her. Actually he would probably think it was hilarious.

“Just sayin’.” Hoggle shrugged.

“Hm?” Sarah really had to work on her attention skills. “Oh, yeah, no.” She shook her head. “I have already started looking at other jobs nearby – once I find a good one I’ll quit and I won’t have to deal with him again!” _I may also have to move home again, apparently._

“Why don’t you just publish one of your stories like you keep talking about?”Hoggle asked, innocently.

“Oh no.” She half-laughed, “none of them are really publishable.” At least, she didn’t want to find out if they were or not.

They lapse into comfortable silence, and Sarah checked the time.

“I suppose I should finish getting ready.” She said, hoping for Hoggle to somehow find a way to put it off indefinitely without consequence.

“Well. Have a lovely _date_ on this very _romantic_ Christmas Eve.” The dwarf winked; winding Sarah up was one of his favourite past times. “I will speak to you tomorrow – Merry Christmas!”

“Yeah, yeah – happy Yule-tide.” Sarah waved her friend off as his image in the mirror faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goblin references:  
> Gröeg – Page 76 of The Goblins of the Labyrinth  
> Aêlst – Page 108 of The Goblins of the Labyrinth  
> Spürgüs – Page 130 of The Goblins of the Labyrinth
> 
> A multi-chapter story? On my Ao3 profile? It’s more likely than you think.
> 
> Probably only going to be two chapters, maybe three, but this is really just the set up for a series of one-shots capturing random times in Sarahs life because one-shots are bae.
> 
> Stay tuned, and feel free to hassle me for more – I get off on it.


	2. The Climax

Sarah was applying a second layer of lipstick when her intercom started to buzz.

Her visitor was clearly holding the button down, as if there were nothing else more important than opening the door right now.

Determined to let him stew, Sarah carefully finished what she was doing and casually strolled over to the intercom.

“Yes?” She asked innocently into the microphone.

“Sarah? It’s Alex, can you let me up?”

“Oh, no it’s okay.” She replied, “I’ll be down in a minute!” Like hell was she going to let him into her apartment - she was going to go out of her way to make sure he knew she was not in anyway interested. She had a type and she knew it, and Alex, under any interpretation, was not _it_.

Sarah opened the cupboard to fetch her coat.

_It’s not too late, I could just climb in, disappear into the Underground and pretend everything is fine_ _and hope he eventually goes away_ _..._

Sarah shook her head and grabbed a faux fur coat she had. She slung it on and took pleasure in the immediate warmth it gave her. She took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror in the door.

She deliberately wore a simple jeans and jumper outfit, layered with a scarf, hat, earmuffs and now her giant coat. You could barely see her under all of the layers.

 _Perfect_ , she thought to herself. _Let’s get this over and done with._

*-*-*

She only kept him waiting an extra ten minutes, ignoring his repeated buzzing and elected instead to add an extra quick-dry topcoat to her nails just before she left. If she was going to go on this date, she was make sure it was on her terms as much as possible.

Alex was wearing a shirt and jean combo and a dark, leather jacket – not at all dressed for the weather and clearly dressed more for the supposed allure of whatever designer he was talking about.

“They do much thicker fur coats than the one you’re wearing.” Alex said, matter-of-factly – already insulting her seconds after she greeted him.

“Good for them.” Sarah said, ignoring the elbow he had offered her. “Which park did you have in mind?”

“There’s a nice one around here” Alex replied, “there’s a nice river that ices over in December. It should be nice with the snow we got last night.”

Sarah, hiding a smirk, knew exactly which park he meant. She wondered if Alex could ever know just how much that park meant to her; it was the last time her fantasies were simply fantasies.

Well, she still had _that_ fantasy unfulfilled.

“So do you go to this park often?” Sarah asked, distracting herself.

“No.”

“... so... how do you know about it?” One word replies were not useful for conversation.

“I googled it.” Alex shrugged.

“Oh.”

They continued walking in awkward silence. Sarah was expecting it to be a bad date, but she wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. Thankfully, the park wasn’t too far from her apartment – it was one of the reasons she had chosen the apartment she did. It was somewhere she often came for inspiration, and just to think. Sarah was not keen on letting Alex spoil her special place, but here they were.

They entered the open gates and began to follow the path around the park.

“Have you been here before?” Alex asked, finally breaking the silence.

“I grew up around here.” Sarah began.

“I’ve never been here before.” Alex cut her off. “It seems nice though. I don’t really go to parks, but I know girls like it.”

“Right.” Sarah rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw stars.

“Unless I am going for a run.” Alex continued, oblivious. “I usually go to the gym, though.” he flexed a little as he spoke.

Alex continued to talk but Sarah was looking across the river as they walked. It wasn’t completely iced over, but it looked so pretty with the blanket of largely undisturbed snow that glittered in the afternoon sun. She couldn’t see any ducks right now, but they preferred the lower end of the river which flowed a little slower.

There were a couple of families and couples who were enjoying the amenities – they seemed much happier to be here than Sarah was. She found herself yet again, scanning the treetops, just in case. Any distraction or escape would be welcome right now.

“I’m glad you came here with me today.” Alex’s voice brought her back to the present.

“I didn’t really have a choice.” She replied, quietly, knowing he wasn’t really listening.

“I think this will be a great story to tell our grandchildren.”

“Wait what?” Sarah whipped around to see Alex on one knee. She recoiled in horror and desperately hoped no one had noticed.

“Will you-”

“What is wrong with you, get up!” she pulled him into his feet.

“What?” Alex asked, genuinely confused.

“What are you doing?!”

“... proposing?”

“Why?!”

“... because I love you?”

“You don’t even know me!” Sarah hissed, her face flush with embarrassment.

“Of course I know you!”

“What’s my brothers name?” Sarah asked, incredulously.

“... David?” Alex tried.

“Not even close.” Sarah scolded him. “What is wrong with you?”

“Well we have ages to get to know each other whilst we’re engaged.” Alex shrugged.

“You’re meant to do that before the engagement!” she was almost impressed – this human had managed to give her a bigger headache than any goblin ever could; even when Gröeg managed to swap her sugar and salt containers in the seconds between her double-checking and making her morning coffee.

“So you accept?” Alex asked.

“Of course not!” Sarah was legitimately angry now. Her Christmas was already in tatters, this was just the icing on an already depressing cake.

“Really?” He seemed to be genuinely confused as to why Sarah was not throwing herself at him.

“Look, let’s talk okay.” She grabbed him and dragged him over to a bench and sat down – her suddenly frozen backside made her regret her decision to sit down on a metal bench, but she didn’t have much choice if she didn’t want to stand in the way of the other park-goers. She took some consolation in that Alex had even less layers to protect him from the cold metal than she did.

“Sure.” Alex said, unsure of where this was going as he sat down next to her.

Sarah stared at him intently, trying to figure out what on Earth he was playing at. Even goblins were easier to figure out than this idiot; they generally just want a potato or twenty and they’re happy.

“What makes you possibly think that _that_ was okay?” She asked him, finally.

“Because I love you and I’ve decided that it’s just you that I want.” Alex said, reaching out to touch her arm.

“But I don’t love you.” Sarah replied, shifting slightly further away from his hand. “I don’t even particularly like you.” She was done with playing nice – this was going way too far.

“How?” Alex scoffed.

“Because you’re an arrogant ass!” She explained, exasperated. _And I have enough of those in my life._

“Maybe, but I’m not to you” Alex replied, “I’ve given you lifts home, brought you coffee, I brought you here, didn’t I?”

“Most of those are part of the baseline of being a decent human being.” Sarah could feel the stress migraine pulsing through her head.

“Then you can teach me.” Alex was slipping off of the bench again.

“No, please stop-”

“Sarah, I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you; will you marry me?”

Sarah hid her face in hands – at least the embarrassment was keeping her warm in the winter chill. The coo’s from passers-by forced Sarah to wrench Alex back onto the bench. In doing so, she accidentally ended up with the ring.

It was the most gaudy, ostentatious thing she had ever seen, now that she got a proper look at it. The jewel was so big she wasn’t sure it would last five minutes of normal wear without snapping off of the band. Hoggle wouldn’t even want that thing!

“I knew you would say ‘yes’ eventually!” Alex beamed in excitement.

“Ew, no!” Sarah thrust the ring back at him. Alex tried not to take it from her so she threw it at him instead. “What are you not understanding about this conversation?! It’s a ‘no’, it’s a ‘never’” Sarah stood up, ready to storm off.

“I don’t understand, it’s not fair!” Alex also stood up, now just frustrated and confused.

“Please don’t say that.” Sarah was having flashbacks to her whinging as a child.

“I don’t know what I am doing wrong!”

“I’ve tried explaining it to you,” Sarah replied, “but clearly communication is not your strong point.” she massaged her brow.

He finally seemed to shut up and allowed Sarah to think. She took a few grounding breaths and looked around – luckily they didn’t seem to be making too much of a scene, but she did notice a few eyes now on them.

The park had grown quiet, save the sounds of the river washing over the banks and the sounds of the trees rustling in the light wind. The sun was already beginning its descent and the sky was a few shades darker than when they first entered the park.

“This isn’t how I thought this afternoon would go.” Alex said, finally.

“This isn’t how I was expecting it to go either.” Sarah sighed, sitting back down. She spoke with a much calmer exterior now, “I don’t really care why you thought this was a good idea any more, I just need you to understand how inappropriate proposing to me was.” She said, carefully.

“I thought it would be romantic, especially as you’re on your own this Christmas.” Alex shrugged.

“I… why do you think that?” Sarah racked her brain; she wasn’t especially friendly with anyone at work, so she had no idea how he found out her family was away for Christmas. She technically wasn’t going to be alone anyway, she had dinner plans with her Underground friends and was rather looking forward to it, actually.

“You mentioned it at the Christmas party.”

“Oh.” She had quite a lot to drink that night, so she wasn’t surprised if she’d mentioned something like that. “Wait, are you proposing just so I won’t be alone this Christmas?”

“You can’t be alone at Christmas if you’re married,” Alex condescendingly explained. “even if I’m away you’ll have the kids-”

“Just, stop.” Sarah was not about to have that mental image. “That’s even worse, actually.” The idea of kids wasn’t the issue, the idea of having them by next Christmas and with Alex made her feel physically ill. “Besides, I am not alone at Christmas, it’s just that my family aren’t in the state this year.” Sarah clarified, “so I don’t need your pity proposals.”

“They’re not out of pity; I love you,” Alex pointed out.

“What do you love about me?” Sarah challenged him. “When you think of me, and you think of love, what are you thinking of?”

“Well,” Alex thought for a moment. “I love your eyes – blue eyes are my favourite.”

Sarah’s very green eyes began to twitch.

“- and you’re so beautiful, I can’t help it.” Alex looked her up and down, almost licking his lips. Sarah looked away in disgust, holing her coat even closer.

“What about shared interests?” Sarah continued, knowing Alex would continue to prove her point.

“We both work in banking.” his face was incredulous, like this was all very obvious and Sarah was just an idiot who couldn’t see what was right in front of her. “We’re both very logical, analytical people with realistic expectations of life.”

“Have you met me?” Sarah laughed. Maybe dropping him off in the Underground _would_ give him some much needed perspective.

“I mean, clearly I have.” Alex replied, missing the point. “I don’t know why you are making this so complicated!” he pulled out the ring again, although stayed stood up. “This is the last time I am asking – will you marry me or not?”

“Not.” Sarah said, matter-of-factly and without hesitation. “Not you, not that hideous ring, and certainly not you.” She stood back up and straightened out her coat. The sky was getting much darker now, and she just wanted to go home.

“You don’t have to be so cruel about it.” his reply was uncharacteristically meek.

“You know nothing of cruelty” Sarah found herself saying, softly. “I’m going home now. Thank you for… the company. Please do not pursue me again.” She began to walk away.

“I’ll walk you home.” Alex caught up with her.

“Please don’t, it’s really not far.”

“I know, but you’re a girl alone in the dark.”

“Excuse me.” Sarah span around, angry again, “I am not a ‘girl’ I am a grown-ass woman who can damn well take care of herself! It’s not that dark yet, or even that late! It just feels like we’ve been here for hours because you keep going in circles!” she took a breath trying to calm herself down. “I am not a child, and you will stop talking to me like I am one. It is humiliating and down-right disrespectful.”

“I don’t know why you’re being such a bitch.” Alex huffed.

Sarah pursed her lips and took a very deep breath before she said something she would regret.

“I just want you to be happy.” Alex continued, “and I know I can make you happy if you just let me. This is your last chance.” He got back on one knee.

“Seriously?!” Sarah exploded at him, “are you so dense that you really think that _I_ am the problem here?! I have met goblins more capable of critical thinking than you!” she continued, ignoring the look of utter confusion on Alex’s face, “at least the Goblin King understands the word ‘no’! God, I wish it was him I was having this conversation with because at least he listens to the words coming out of my god-damn mouth!”

“Always, precious.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! It's three chapters now. I did that just to spite you, personally.
> 
> Should have the last chapter in the next couple of days, if not please be sure to hassle me. I promise there will be fluff, there will be innuendos, and definitely more goblin mischief. 
> 
> The rest of the entries into this series will be written and posted as and when I write them - if you have any prompts for this particular universe please send them over and I will see what I can do with them!


	3. The Pay Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It must be your birthday because Jareth wouldn't let me sleep until I pumped this bad-boy out and delivered it to the internet.
> 
> Goblin reference:  
> Püg (pronounced, for no apparent reason, as 'guppie') – Page 12 of The Goblins of the Labyrinth

“Fuck.” Sarah closed her eyes - there was no mistaking whose voice that was coming from behind her. How could she have been that careless to wish?! She knew that the Goblin King was always listening to those.

The last time she had wished, it had been her first birthday after her adventure in the Labyrinth and, as is customary, she wished as she blew out the candles of her birthday cake. At almost that exact second, a suspiciously familiar looking postman delivered a parcel with no return address and then promptly disappeared when their backs were turned. Inside was the dress that she had worn in her dream of the masquerade ball. That required _a lot_ of little white lies to explain where that came from, and Sarah learnt not to wish for things like 'something to remember the masquerade by'.

“Who is that?” she had almost forgotten that Alex was still on one knee, ring in hand, completely bewildered as to what exactly was going on.

Sarah was too scared to turn around – she knew the Goblin King had his disguises, but she also knew of his penchant to be a little extra flamboyant when it would suit him. She was hoping beyond hope that at least he looked normal. She was hoping even harder that she had somehow fabricated the sound of his voice, and seeing him in person would prove that he was actually here, in the flesh.

“Uh, that is…” Sarah fumbled over her words.

“Sarah’s boyfriend.” The smooth voice behind her completed her sentence, much to her utter horror, and yet she did not feel the urge to dispute it.

“Oh.” Alex said. “This is awkward.” he stood up and fingered the ring in his hands. “She’d never mentioned you before.” he shrugged, slyly.

“She shouldn’t have to in order to scare off suitors.” his voice purred past Sarah’s ear – a contrast to the rough sound of Alex’s voice. Jareth put a considerate hand lightly on her shoulder, and it was all Sarah could do not to melt into his warmth. “A simple ‘no’ should suffice.” there was a certain poison in those words.

It then dawned on Sarah that he had, in fact, been watching the whole time, as he clearly knew exactly what was going on. Had Hoggle told him? Did Jareth – the Goblin King – just happen to be in the area? Did he hang out in this park a lot? Oh man, had he seen her coming here and standing on the bridge and just smiling at what was _definitely_ nothing in particular?

“You’re spiralling again, precious.” this whisper was just for Sarah, and her spine felt electric from his very breath.

“Hm. Hi.” Sarah was back in the room. “yep, secret boyfriend very secret I sometimes forget he’s there he’s that secret he’s long distance very long distance.” she rambled as Alex took another step back from the odd couple.

“… right.” Alex look one more second to even attempt to process this, looking between both faces of those opposite him, and made the very good decision to take his leave. “I guess I will see you at work then, Sarah.”

“Oh, I hope not.” She said as Alex walked away.

*-*-*

The air was tense around Sarah, who still was yet to turn to the Goblin King she had wished into this plane of existence. It wasn’t like he couldn’t come and go as he pleased, like his subjects, but this day was now spiralling harder than she was.

Sarah was just about to say something when she noticed that snow was beginning to fall again, and the park was significantly dark now. How long had this whole thing taken? She didn’t want to refer to it as a date, and she never wanted to see Alex again.

“Huh, I think I am just going to email in my notice and never go back.” she said aloud.

“Probably for the best.” Jareth agreed.

Taking a deep breath Sarah finally, slowly, turned to face the Goblin King. He was much closer than she realised and she instinctively leaned back to create more distance between them; his hand no longer comforting her.

“Hi.”

“Hi?” he raised a pointed eyebrow.

“Thanks for… the save… I guess” Sarah shrugged, her eyes focusing on anything but the figure before her.

“Well, apparently you wanted to discuss the arrangements of our engagement.” Jareths' smirk bared his perfect teeth. Sarah groaned – he was enjoying this far too much.

“That… that’s not what I meant, and you know it.” she sighed, her stomach doing a thousand flips.

“Care to walk? It’s a little cold out here.” he offered a gentlemanly elbow.

Sarah took a moment to actually look at him. He was wearing all black – she could hardly tell one material from the other, but he looked quite warm but, most importantly, quite normal. She lowered her head a little in submission and linked her arm around his. He began to lead her along the path that circulated the whole park as small flakes of snow danced through the air around them.

“I was rather taken aback by your wish.” Jareth began, “I didn’t think we had gotten to that stage yet.”

“I just wanted to be heard...”

“And I am hearing you.”

“I always seem to be heard when I don’t want it, and never by those who I want to listen.” Sarah chuckled. “I mean, we have barely even said more than a few sentences between us since…”

“Since you defeated my Labyrinth?”

“Yeah, that.” Sarah bit her lip. Whilst it was a pleasure talk to Jareth, especially as he could finish her sentences instead of interrupting them, he had such a looming presence it was hard to not feel intimidated. “I assume you probably don’t like me very much.”

“Clearly.” he replied, squeezing her arm.

“… How much did you hear?” Sarah asked, tentatively, changing the subject- she wanted to know just how much he had stalked her this evening.

“Enough.”

“Enough?”

“Enough to know he was trouble.” Jareth flashed a devilish grin “and as amusing as watching your nervous breakdown in real time was, I was contemplating stepping in anyway.”

“So, you were watching me?”

“Of course.”

“What do you mean 'of course'?!” she pulled away from him and stopped. “That is not okay! Through your crystals?!” she demanded to know exactly what he was playing at.

“No I… I can’t actually see you through my crystals.” he pulled out a cloudy one, as if to prove it to her. “I have no power over you, remember?” Jareth smirked again, although this one didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Time flows on a different river up here, allowing me to spend a fair amount of time in peaceful solitude and still get home in time to break up a fight over supper.”

He offered his arm again, and when Sarah hesitated to take it, he said; “and when your friend, Hogwart, had told me about this fantastic, _romantic_ date of yours, I just had to see it for myself” this time the smirk reached all the way to his mis-matched eyes, and then some.

“God-damn it, Hoggle.” Sarah said through gritted teeth as she took Jareths arm again. “So you were ‘Owling’ it, then?” she asked, suppressing a giggle.

“An owl is a silent predator; you won’t see an owl unless the owl allows it” he replied, not rising to her bait. “and don’t think I haven’t seen you watching out for me.”

Sarah scrunched her face in embarrassment. She deserved that one.

“As long as you don’t… y’know… watch me… at home.” her voice trailed off before she could specify where exactly she was hoping he wasn’t watching her. _Or maybe just a little bit of watching._

“No, not unless your curtains are open.” he winked. “although I did find out that hard way that you cover up your mirrors at night.”

“I do not want to know how you figured that out.” Sarah replied, her face so flush she wasn’t sure if there was any blood left for the rest of her body.

“Püg was looking for some inspiration; they were rather upset that ‘maiden sleeping on potatoes’ would be nothing but a dream.” Jareth explained coolly. "There was a minor uprising, but nothing different from a usual afternoon in the Goblin Kingdom." 

“I’ve heard worse excuses.” Sarah replied. She realised that she had become rather tense, and so began to relax her body, something Jareth noticed.

“Are you okay there, precious?”

“I am walking around a park, arm in arm with a Goblin King, mere minutes after a distant acquaintance proposed to me like three times -”

“-Four.”

“-Please just let me repress some of it, please.” Sarah begged, desperate to block out as much as the afternoon as she could, much to Jareths amusement.

“No," he replied a little over-dramatically, "I shall decree to have this day a national holiday in the Goblin Kingdom, where Goblins of all ages will re-enact your worst date.”

“Worst date _so far_.” Sarah found herself correcting him, clearly having little faith in her choice of suitors.

“With me in charge of our dates, I am sure I can prevent the bar from dropping that low.” Jareth said very matter-of-factly.

“And we’re back to this.” Sarah literally could not cringe any harder.

“Well,” Jareth sighed, “I suppose I could let you take charge a few times but if this is your idea of a good time I can’t say I would be very entertained. Although letting you take charge in other aspects will be very entertaining indeed.”

“That's… not the issue.” she pulled away again, completely ignoring his addendum, and forced him to stop. “I’m… I’m sorry, Jareth. It was a slip of a wish, and it doesn’t reflect what I really want.”

“And what is it that you really want?” Jareth stepped forward, closing some of the distance between them.

_For you to kiss me._

“Nothing!” She said, suddenly. “Well, something.” she stuttered, “like not something something, but something would be nice.” she looked up at him.

“I am afraid I don’t follow.” he said, a little perplexed.

“I… you need to get to know each other before… things are something.” she choked out. “Like I said to Alex, he doesn’t know me very well so it was moving far too fast and I am a little overwhelmed – are we on the bridge?”

Sarah had noticed mid-ramble that he had lead them to the bridge over the water near where she used to act her favourite stories with the family dog, Merlin. The snow was much thicker in the air now, and yet Sarah realised that she could barely feel the iciness over the warmth that emanated from the Goblin King – from Jareth.

“It is a bridge, yes.” he looked around, as if the encroaching darkness was no problem for his other-worldly eyes. “I think there are a few others, but you seem to like this one, yes?”

“I do.” she said, wistfully as she felt the stone barrier beneath her fingers.

“So perhaps, I have a proposal of my own.” Jareth said, carefully, as he came up behind Sarah again.

“Please don’t.” Sarah replied, only half-joking.

“I propose, that I will not propose.” he stepped even closer, his arms holding hers, his lips a hairs’ breadth away from her ear. “and maybe once I have gotten to know you, and you have gotten to know me, and you are no longer overwhelmed…” Sarah was barely listening at this point – his closeness taking over all of her senses as she fought against every urge not to lean into him; not to angle her neck closer to those wonderful lips. “perhaps then _you_ will do the proposing.”

Sarah gulped as Jareths head pulled away, although he still kept his warm embrace.

“I think… I think that is maybe a proposal I can accept.” she tried to keep her voice from trembling and failed miserably.

“Then it is settled.” he gave such a light kiss to the side of her head that Sarah wasn’t even sure it happened. “now, we must get you home, love. Please, allow me.” he began to lead her away, towards the gate she had entered from a few hours before.

“Right.” Sarah did her best to ground herself again before her legs turned to jelly. “Sure. Okay. Sounds good.” she took her place once again at his side, and allowed him to lead them towards her apartment in the most beautiful silence she had ever felt; Sarah had never been able to feel this at ease, and yet this anxious in her life. She held on tightly, her head resting gently against Jareths arm.

Too soon, they were back at her apartment.

“Goodnight, Sarah.” Jareth took her hand and kissed it, watching her face flush once again to his delight.

“G’night” she replied as she took back her hand and fumbled with her keys to get inside. The door to her building unlatched and she turned to thank Jareth for salvaging her night, and maybe to invite him in, but she found herself alone on the porch.

Sarah looked up at the sky just in time to watch the silhouette of an owl disappear into the darkness, and gave a small smile.

This was certainly going to be a Christmas Eve to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goblin reference:  
> Püg (pronounced, for no apparent reason, as 'guppie') – Page 12 of The Goblins of the Labyrinth
> 
> Boom. Done. Dusted. 
> 
> Comment, like and subscribe. Send me your prompts as we slow-burn the hell out of this romance with a series of snap-shots into their relationship and how Sarah and Jareth just love to ruin each others lives. I can't promise there will be any particularly graphically steamy stories, but nothing (reasonable) is off the table - I need to practise getting out of my writing comfort zone so I am willing to experiment!


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